An actor who plays a fake character hosted a fundraiser for one of the chaps running for president. So now there’s a report of a little backlash against the beer company for whom the actor’s fake character pitches.

File this under you can’t make this up.

It involves this guy, the most interesting man in the world.

Jonathan Goldsmith is the actor and he held a fundraiser in Vermont (did you really think he lived on his own island?) for Barack Obama, according to Ad Age.

“Since you are supporting Obama you just lost a customer,” wrote one fan on the Dos Equis page. “Mexican beer for Obama…………bye-bye Dos Equis,” it quotes one fan posting on Dos Equis’ Facebook page.

Brand importer Heineken USA closely guards what Mr. Goldsmith does in character, but since he is hosting the event as a citizen, the marketer has less leverage. In a statement, the company told Ad Age: “Mr. Goldsmith’s opinions and views are strictly his own, and do not represent those of Dos Equis.”

One beer company executive not affiliated with the importer said it’s “not smart business sense for any brand or company to be in the middle of a political debate,” adding, “people are going to associate him with the character he plays and that comes with a high degree of risk and I’m sure it’s not making the Heineken people happy.”

About the blogger

Bob Collins has been with Minnesota Public Radio since 1992, emigrating to Minnesota from Massachusetts where he was VP of programming for Berkshire Broadcasting Co. He was an editor at the RKO Radio Network in New York, and WHDH Radio in Boston. He is the founder of the MPR News’ website. He is a private pilot and flies an airplane he built.

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Which is why he continues to be the most interesting man in the world.

BJ

I believe that John Hodgman (i’m a PC) had a bit of controversy about some stuff he said around 4 years ago. Google did not prove my memory correct, I bet some of newscut’s people will remember it though. But I did find his TED talk on Love and Aliens

Jim Shapiro

The most interesting man in the world has every right in said world to take a public political position.

As do any number of significantly less interesting celebrities.

Along with that of course goes the right of the businesses paying them to disassociate the business from the private life activities of entertainer spokespeople.

Or decide that they will find somebody more (less?) interesting to represent their product to their target market.

kennedy

Not entirely comfortable with the increase in political backlash. The owner of Chik-Fil-A can afford to take the heat, some customers stop coming while supporters become new customers. A football player may lose some endorsements but can probably carry on just fine in their sport. An actor who is a paid spokesperson is in a bind. Political activism threatens their livelihood, which could be taken as inhibiting their right to free speech. Though I suppose if the only qualification of a job is to be popular, it is up to the individual to manage their own public image.

I remember Mark Harmon losing a beer endorsement after playing Ted Bundy.

Of course Coors is owned by a rightwing family that hates unions. Dos Equis simply hired a well known actor who turned out to have political views. This is, of course, exactly the same thing.

The right is being victimized by this actor, and they have every right to lash out at all of his employers. And don’t forget that Goldsmith attended Boston University. Conservatives should stop attending BU, obviously.

Goldsmith also appeared in John Wayne movies. Clearly John Wayne movies should be boycotted.

In fact, Goldsmith has spread his hate quite widely, and conservatives should also consider boycotting Adam-12, Knight Rider, CHiPs, Eight is Enough, The Rockford Files, Eight is Enough, Barnaby Jones, Murder She Wrote, McByver, Charlie’s Angels, Manimal, The Fall Guy, Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Magnum P.I., Knotts Landing, and the A Team. Goldsmith appeared on them all, and they are now all hopelessly tainted by Goldsmith’s heinously liberal politics.